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IAN HAMILTON FINLAY: FRAGMENTS AT DAVID NOLAN GALLERY
New York City
Philosopher. Sculptor. Poet. Gardener. The late Scottish polymath Ian Hamilton Finlay, who would have turned 100 this month, is being celebrated with eight global exhibitions, including in London, Vienna, and Edinburgh. In New York, David Nolan is exhibiting works from the 1970s-1990s—sculptures in porcelain, stone, bronze and plaster, as well as prints—in Ian Hamilton Finlay: Fragments (May 8-June 7). The exhibit, designed by artist David Hartt, reveals the unique nature of Finlay's practice, which combined wordplay, classical motifs, and the influence of history, philosophy, and myth with his longtime interest in gardening (his magnum opus is Little Sparta, his garden near Edinburgh). The works on view range from a bronze watering can on a pedestal to a bust of philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau paired with a ceramic vase holding a wildflower.
— Ingrid Abramovitch
